


Queen's Song

by highwind91



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Elf, F/M, From the one cover you know the one, Multi, and some sasuhina romance later on, hyuuchiha feels, itahina or itaneji if you wanna squint, pretty much just sasuhinaitaneji with mostly platonic/family moments
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2016-01-07
Packaged: 2018-04-17 14:12:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4669598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/highwind91/pseuds/highwind91
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say elves are clever and crafty creatures that seclude themselves in their forest, uninterested in anything outside of their realm and content to watch the centuries pass. I would disagree. You see, elves are more curious than that. Though intelligent we may be praised, there is much we do not know about even ourselves. We strive to achieve new heights in their magic and abilities, and are watchful of others, always observing. While it is true that they remain clever and crafty, not many other creatures live long enough to see the true natures of elves; how they are naturally, unbound by what outsiders think of ‘the fair folk’. I myself am an observer, and this is the results of my findings. To whoever may read this, and dearly hope it is you Princess, this document will show you the truth I was striving for. (Excerpts from Itachi Uchiha’s journal, 1:1)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The SasuHina family online for SasuHina Month 2015](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=The+SasuHina+family+online+for+SasuHina+Month+2015).



_They say elves are clever and crafty creatures that seclude themselves in their forest, uninterested in anything outside of their realm and content to watch the centuries pass. I would disagree. You see, elves are more curious than that. Though intelligent we may be praised, there is much we do not know about even ourselves. We strive to achieve new heights in their magic and abilities, and are watchful of others, always observing. While it is true that they remain clever and crafty, not many other creatures live long enough to see the true natures of elves; how they are naturally, unbound by what outsiders think of ‘the fair folk’. I myself am an observer, and this is the results of my findings. To whoever may read this, and dearly hope it is you Princess, this document will show you the truth I was striving for._

_(Excerpts from Itachi Uchiha’s journal, 1:1)_

 

\---

There are many sounds in The Great Forest, unheard by normal ears, but the elves within the Otustsuki Realm could pick up on the rushing water of the brook or the whisper of the wind through the leaves.

The Otsutsuki Realm was home to several branches of elves, and housed a conglomerate of intricate castles of silver stone and shining marble. Built tall and lean, the turrets of the castle barely competed with the tips of the oldest trees, and the stone was decorated with gold leafing and gemstones. Bridges connected the various castles and different levels, streams of water running underneath them before cascading into a waterfall where the main house was built, belonging to the Hyuuga family.

The dainty steps of deer passing by outside the border of the Hyuuga house were what a young elven boy with spiky black hair was listening to. Simply because he could not find anything better to do at the time.

_The elk are beginning to make their way to their den_ , he thought, laying down and closing his eyes, imagining the missteps he was hearing of the young foals of the herd among the collective steady beats of the adult’s steps.

“Is the main house so boring for you, Sasuke-kun?”

The boy shot up in surprise, eyes wrenching open and casting around for the source of the voice he just heard. They fell upon another young elf boy, though he was slightly older, had long brown hair and the trademark white Hyuugan eyes. He smiled down at Sasuke, kneeling down to take a seat next to him.

“Neji-san!” he cried, beginning to grin.

“Your brother should only be a few minutes longer; his lessons with the Princess will end for the day very soon.” Neji informed him, stifling a chuckle when he saw Sasuke’s face turn into a pout.

“Why does Itachi-nii have to come to the main house to teach? There should be lots of elves who can teach in the princess.”

“It can’t be helped now, can it? Itachi-san is a genius when it comes to the abilities of elven eyes.” For the past two years, his older brother had been asked to personally teach the first daughter of the Hyuugan lord Hiashi about eye abilities and help her hone her own skills. Sasuke didn’t really get it – he knew his brother was smart despite bring so young, smarter than most adult elves. But he never heard anything good about the princess; she was born a fragile sickly child, and never ventured outside the castle.

Sasuke at one point had pitied that – he was currently sitting on the grass of one of the lush courtyards of the castle; despite the stone statues, colourful gardens, and sweeping arches that enclosed the space, he was bored out of his mind. He couldn’t imagine living in this place.

His own domain was, although much smaller, quaint and much more homely. The Uchiha were a small family affiliated with the other Otsutsuki families; their status among them was about average, but the attention Itachi was getting for being a genius was working in their favour in improving that.

When he went for his first lesson with the princess, he had brought Sasuke with him; until that point, Sasuke had only been to the castle for the formal parties at the start of the New Year with his parents. Sasuke held his breath every time he passed the threshold – the air of the Hyuuga was that of the highest nobles. Even among other elven realms, they were highly regarded and he could see that in the way they walked through their halls with shoulders set back and chin raised high. They were highly unapproachable and Sasuke could feel himself shrinking if any of them glanced his way; how his brother was holding his own head just as high and not cracking under the pressure, Sasuke wasn’t sure but it certainly warranted for respect.

Now, two years later, Sasuke had realized he was being a ridiculous child. With every visit, as he waited for his brother to finish, Sasuke would venture around the castle with a little free reign and gotten used to the atmosphere. So long as he ducked his head at the right times and kept quiet, he was able to integrate quite well into the daily bustle of the castle.

On one of his excursions, he had accidentally walked into the court the Queen was keeping; her nephew Neji promptly escorted him out after he apologized profusely (though the Queen really didn’t seem to mind, giving him a gentle smile) and Sasuke began approaching him when he visited. From that point, if Neji did not have any other duties, he kept Sasuke company while he waited. Today was one of the days where he had to see to his own training and could not meet up with Sasuke until the very end.

Sasuke resumed his lying down position. “Neji-san, you must really like Itachi-nii.”

Neji bunched up his fists. “Of course! Any young elf looks up to Itachi-san as an outstanding example for our generation. He’s achieved so much in his understanding of our eye powers and magic. I would like to be just like him!”

“Well, such kind words from the Hyuuga’s own resident genius. I feel humbled.”

Sasuke sprang back up as he and Neji turned around to see Itachi walk out from behind an arch. Several years older than Sasuke and Neji, his dark hair was pulled into a tie over one shoulder and his eyes blazed red with Uchiha maturity. He joined them sitting in the grass.

“N-not at all, Itachi-san, I’m hardly a genius.” Neji said, becoming flustered. It seemed to visibly distress him when someone he idolized bestowed such praise to him. Itachi merely chuckled. “You’re very young Neji, but your talents only continue to grow exponentially and easily master anything you try. I admire a genius of your calibre. Though if you’d like to be like me, here’s a start.” Only the flick of his wrist was caught and before Neji knew it, his long hair bound at the end at his back was now over his shoulder, tied in the same fashion as Itachi’s. The motion was so quick that neither of the younger boys were able to catch when it had been done.

Sasuke’s eyes lit up. “Me too!” he exclaimed, ducking his head to show his short hair spiking back, waiting for them. Itachi pulled a spare hair tie from his pocket, and attempted to tie back the strands. The result was an extremely short ponytail, and it left no time for Sasuke to admire it before the hair tie popped off and released the hair again.

Despite Sasuke's crestfallen glance at the hair tie that abandoned him, the boys began laughing and the courtyard was filled with the pealing laughter of elven children.

Up in the terraces that viewed the courtyard, elves continued on their way, paying no mind to the laughing children; all but one little elven girl. A fringe of dark hair sat above her pearly eyes as she peeked over the banister to see what had other children laughing without restraint. Her eyes rested on the boys sitting on the grass laughing over a hair tie. She had no context as to why they were laughing, but could not help but feel envious of the carefree fun they seemed to be enjoying.

“Princess?”

The girl turned to the voice that had called her – an attendant that had been escorting her to her next lesson was waiting for her to continue walking. Without a word, she withdrew from the terrace, throwing one glance back at the courtyard before continuing on her way.

 

\---

“You seem to be picking up on the patterns very well, Princess.” Itachi commented, making a few notes in his notebook to record his student’s progress.

The princess was studying the spirit patterns within the body that governed magic; Itachi had been observing her progress over the past two years and had gotten to know the princess quite well. His records of her progress would help with determining just how unique her power is. Hiashi had known since she was born that her abilities would be unique, but the extent was surprising even for Itachi; practicing with the princess had helped in furthering whatever theories Itachi had for eye abilities.

“Um, I-Itachi-san,” the girl hesitantly spoke up. Itachi looked up from his notes. She had been scratching her answers on the parchment with her quill until just now, but held a troubled look on her face for the entire lesson. She was a reserved girl, so Itachi was wondering just when she’d approach him with what was on her mind.

“Yes Princess?”

“Y-Yesterday, who was the boy you and Neji-nii were laughing with?” Her question took Itachi by surprise. “Oh, that was my brother Sasuke. I don’t believe the two of you have met formally.” Had she been watching them after their lesson? “Is there any reason you wanted to know, Princess?”

She shook her head. “It just looked like you were having fun yesterday. I’d never heard you or Neji-nii laugh like that before.”

True, she was kept away from most elven children because of her status. Neji was most likely the closest one in age that she could have any interaction with. Itachi thought for a moment; they still had some time before the lesson was over.

“Say, Princess…”

 

\---

In the courtyard, Sasuke was passing time with Neji by playing Cat’s Cradle; it was unusually hot that day and the castle was as still as the air. Shaded under a tree, the two boys continued to hook their fingers on the string and create the complex formations as they passed in between each other. Sasuke had just pulled the form for a two-tailed cat, when he heard his name being whispered.

“Sasuke, Neji. Over here.”

Sasuke looked up and saw his brother emerge behind a pillar, motioning them to come over. Sasuke let the string from his hands go, letting it fall to the floor, and followed Neji to meet up with Itachi. Beside him was a small cloaked figure. Neji instantly tensed up.

“I-Itachi-san, what is the meaning of-” he began, but Itachi cut him off by placing a finger to his lips.

“We’re just going on an outdoor excursion for the remainder of the lesson. I will take responsibility.” Itachi promised, lowering himself to one knee to speak to Sasuke and the cloaked figure.

“Sasuke, allow me introduce to you the Hyuuga Princess, Hinata.” The cloaked figure pulled their hood back to reveal the face of a young girl who looked like the queen. She curtseyed to Sasuke. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.” she said in a hushed voice. Suddenly remembering he was addressing royalty, Sasuke composed himself and gave a bow.

“Come now,” Itachi directed, “we’ll be going to the Spirit Lake into the forest. There is a small crevice I found in the west wall. Let’s go before someone finds us out.”


	2. Chapter 2

_ As you may be aware, the abilities of elves are numerous and enviable. Many creatures wish to have the same longevity of our lives, the litheness of our bodies, and the magic within our core. The Otsutsuki Realm of elves are born with a gene that makes the eyes responsive to our magic; it’s taken many forms and abilities, and evolved into a mark of individuality in each of our kin. Incredible feats have been discovered with these abilities; one elf was found to be able to move his body between realms and have physical objects pass through him. Another was able to cross realms of worlds, perhaps even between planes of existence. Today, and I hope well into the future, that elves continue to push the boundaries of our magic capabilities.  _

_ (Excerpts from Itachi Uchiha’s journal, 1:5) _

\---

The Spirit Lake is a holy place within The Great Forest, teeming with life. A gathering place for weak wandering spirits, they gain enough energy to manifest into little flickering lights and float among each other – any humans that pass by mistake them for fireflies. Thick trees surround most of the lake, leaving a small bank of sand to approach the crystal clear water. Little blue flecks of light can be seen along the bottom, evidence of water sprites frolicking around. 

Itachi led the children to the water’s edge; Hinata and Sasuke looking on in curiosity with Neji bringing up the rear and muttering all the reasons why this wasn’t a good idea. 

“OK Princess, do you remember what I’ve first taught you about spirits?” Itachi asked Hinata. She nodded, and Itachi knelt in front of her. 

“Then how about we put it into practice and show Neji and Sasuke your capabilities.” Itachi replied, extending his hand towards the floating spirits. He cupped his hand around one and gently led the spirit closer to Hinata. She cupped both her hands together for the spirit to lightly float on. Neji and Sasuke leaned in to watch it.

Hinata closed her eyes in concentration. Veins began to sprout beside them, causing Sasuke to jump back in surprise; this was the first time he was seeing the eye abilities of the Hyuuga, the Byakugan, up close. Hinata gazed at the glowing spirit in front of her, and it began to morph slowly; small tendrils of light extended from the body before joining again to create a head and some legs, until a little spirit in the shape of a lion was sitting in her palms with its tail swinging back and forth. 

“Whoa…” Sasuke breathed, leaning even closer to the little spirit. It glanced his way, eyes shining. “How did she do that?” he asked, looking to his brother.

Itachi cleared his throat and began his lecture. “Spirits are the manifestation of life itself and exist within all things in this realm. Among all creatures, only a handful of races can manipulate their inner spirit, the first and foremost being the elves. This manipulation is called Elven Magic by humans. Free manipulation of one’s own spirit involves using the eyes, which are believed to be a medium between the spirit and the mind; spirit enhances an elf’s eyes and can transform into abilities, some which seem to be shared between many elves and some which seem to be distinct for each individual elf. 

“Spirit is normally manifested within the user’s body and allows the user to extend their physical capabilities,” Itachi stopped and extended a hand to Neji, who looked up from the little lion spirit. Neji activated his own eyes and took a beginner’s fighting stance, channeling his spirit energy to his arm and striking the ground; a dent was left in the soft sand, stray clouds from the impact settling down. With a nod, Itachi continued. 

“There have been special cases of spirit manipulation outside the body.” Itachi raised his arm, and from his hand a black aura emerged, engulfing his hand before moving up to sit on it and took the form of a raven. “This phenomenon is still being studied as it is a rare gift. And finally…” he dispersed the raven and sat down beside Hinata.

“Finally, there is a new discovery among eye abilities – the ability to manipulate the spirits of others. This ability is completely foreign and only one elf is known to exist with it.” Itachi finished off, placing a hand on top of Hinata’s head. He took a small notebook and quill out of the satchel tied to his belt and began to make notes. 

The little lion began to be more active, first circling around Hinata’s hands, then climbing up her arm to rest on her shoulder. Sasuke leaned in to stare at the spirit, absolutely bewildered by the tiny creature. Hinata placed her hand in front of the lion, letting it step onto it, and extended the little spirit to Sasuke. “Would you like to hold her?”

Sasuke pointed to himself in disbelief. “Me?” Hinata nodded, and Sasuke extended his own hand and the spirit walked onto it. Sasuke held his breath; he couldn’t feel any weight from the creature, but it gave off a small warm presence, like a little pulse. Sasuke’s eyes lit up, extending a finger on his free hand towards the lion and watching it attempt to bat it away, its paw phasing through. 

Hinata brought form to another spirit, and handed it towards Neji, who kept glancing around as if they would be caught any second. The small fox was enough to distract him as he held it; more active, the spirit immediately began jumping about along his arms, shoulders, and head. Neji struggled to keep the little spirit in his sights. 

Before Itachi knew it, Hinata had brought a little cacophony of spirits out. Itachi smiled; the children seemed to enjoy playing with the little zoo of animals, laughing to their heart’s content. 

\---

“Itachi-san?”

Itachi started out of his daydream, looking to the source of the voice that woke him. His eyes fell on a young woman with long dark hair and soft white eyes. She shared the face of the late queen, now more mature than the memory he just revisited. It was the princess, Hinata, who looked at him questioningly. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

Itachi shook his head, closing the book that he was staring at during his daydream; he silently reprimanded himself for falling asleep during the princess’s lesson. 

“Don’t worry about it. Where were we?”

“Um, you told me to write all I could about my contact with a woodland fairy” Hinata replied, holding out a sheet of paper she had been scribbling on. Itachi took the sheet, gave it a skim, and rolled it up.

“Excellent. I believe that was it for today.”

Hinata nodded, but her troubled gaze didn’t leave him. “I-It’s not like you to doze off like that. Are you sure you’re sleeping enough, Itachi-san?”

Itachi inwardly sighed; his research projects had been getting more and more time-consuming as he found himself staying up many nights lost in papers or tests. It wouldn’t do to make his student worry about him. 

“I assure you, I’m quite well, Princess. I was simply recalling a fond memory.” Itachi said with a smile. 

Hinata still gave him a pensive look. She gave a small sigh, then took a deep breath and looked at Itachi head-on. “Itachi-san, what is ‘The Truth’?”

Itachi froze. 

Since he had begun working with her as a child to develop her talents, Hinata’s abilities had gone beyond what Itachi could imagine; not only did her ability with external spirits evolve, from being able to communicate from pure spirits to even living ones residing in physical bodies, but she also was able to manipulate her own spirit quite well. One of her talents of sight went beyond his widely-praised ability to extend his aura and use his raven to survey the area, and it was the one he was most interested in currently.. Hinata had achieved near clairvoyance, most prominent in her sleep, though she could not control what she saw. If what she saw was indeed about The Truth Itachi was seeking, then there was nothing he could hide. But it wasn’t time yet.

“What do you mean?” he asked, feigning a smile. If anyone would try to deceive a clairvoyant, it would be him. 

Hinata looked down. She could tell that whatever was being withheld from her by Itachi wasn’t going to be simple to pry. “I…had a vision, last night when I was asleep. I think it was a vision of the future…because in it, you said you have to leave…to find ‘The Truth’.” She gripped the hem of her sleeve, looking back up at him. 

“Will you tell me?”

\---

_ Thwack! _

An arrow embedded itself into a wooden target, right at the centre, the shaft vibrating from the force of impact. 

A low whistle came from a tall elven man, his long brown hair tied at the end, a simple circlet sitting on his head. His white eyes moved from the target to the archer who shot the arrow beside him.

The elves were well versed in many combat methods, but archery was their most infamous. Within the Otsutsuki Realm, a well-equipped challenging range was set up for elves to practice the bow. Targets were set up at various distances and even had obstacles to challenge fledgling archers and hone their skills. Just now, the farthest target had been shot from where the two elves were now standing; it was a difficult task to get arrows to travel so far. 

“Your skills have improved, Sasuke-kun.” Neji praised. Sasuke lowered his arm from its stance, bringing the bow to his side. 

“I’m still a long way from catching up to you, Neji-san.” he replied, smirking. 

Once Sasuke began to train like other elven fledglings, his time spent waiting for his brother was wait Neji training. Neji had continued to receive praises for his skill in anything he tried, and was rising as an exemplary warrior among his generation. In the field off of battle, Itachi continued to raise House Uchiha up in social rank with his achievements in magical research. 

Staring at the backs of those two pushed Sasuke to become just as great, and despite how much talent his teachers assured him he’d have, he still considered himself too weak compared to when the two of them were at his point in training. 

At one point it became an obsession to have strength and he was nearly bewitched by a snake shaman into leaving the Realm to obtain it; he had no idea that doing so would cost him his natural core spirit, as it was by sinister shamans that they were eaten and elves were turned into grotesque creatures that were shells of their former selves. 

Had it not been for a vision that Hinata had seen and had the help of the forest nymphs, they would not have exposed the shaman and Sasuke would have been devoured by him. At that time, before despair had taken root in him, Hinata handed Sasuke a bow and told him that he would find the strength he sought, for she had seen it. 

Whether it was the truth or not, as Sasuke had come to learn there was much she had learned from Itachi’s silver tongue, it kept Sasuke hopeful as he perfected his niche in archery. He was far from being a master, but he was driven with new ambition. 

Sasuke notched another arrow, and sent it flying at the same target; the arrow split the one before it, landing dead centre once again.  

“You’re not even using your Sharingan, are you Sasuke-kun?” Sasuke turned around, facing the soft voice of the princess behind him. “That’s impressive.” she said with a smile. 

Before Sasuke could reply, Neji cut in. “Is your lesson done for today? Where is Itachi-san?”

“Itachi-san said he had things to attend to right away. He told me to let you know, Sasuke-kun, that you should head home whenever you’d like, and not to wait on him.” Hinata shifted to the side, arm outstretched towards the field exit. “I will escort you to the gate.”

“I can do that for you, Hinata-sama-” Neji began, but he was cut off. 

“Neji, I will trust you to look after the weapons and the training area.” Hinata ordered, her smile never faltering. Taken aback, Neji could only mutter “As you wish.” while giving Hinata a curious glance. 

Sasuke gave Neji a matching perplexed look as he handed his practice bow and quiver over to the older elf, and followed the princess out of the training field. As they turned the corner, Hinata asked “Hey, Sasuke-kun…”

_ There it is, _ Sasuke thought. “Yes Princess?”

“Has…has Itachi-san been acting strange at home?” Hinata looked at him through her bangs. Sasuke paused for a moment, thinking back. “Nothing that I’ve noticed, though I think you’d know better than most, Princess.” he replied; Itachi was probably the most open with his own student, after all, with no kinds of barriers to put up in front of her. “ _ Will _ something happen?”

Hinata looked down, considering something, and then looked back up at him. “Sasuke-kun, do you have time to take a walk with me?”

\---

The two elves had taken a walk to the Spirit Lake; Hinata was permitted a wider border of travel if she was escorted, since her health had begun stabilizing years ago. She often travelled to this lake with Neji or Itachi, and this was the first time she was alone with Sasuke. 

She gazed across the still surface of the water, collecting her thoughts, before turning around to face Sasuke. 

“I saw a vision…of Itachi-san leaving the Otsutsuki Realm…” she spoke softly, not looking him in the eye. “Whether it is symbolic or literal, I don’t know but…I don’t want him to leave.”

Sasuke’s composed face broke out into surprise. “L-leaving? What do you mean, Princess?”

Hinata looked up. “In my vision, I am finishing another lesson with Itachi. Usually he will update me on my progress or what plans he has for the next one, but he didn’t this time. So I asked him what we would do next time…and he said he wasn’t going to have another lesson with me. He said he had to leave to pursue ‘The Truth’ and…” Hinata trailed off, looking down. 

Sasuke got agitated. “And what? What happened next?” he asked, taking the princess’s shoulders. She looked up and Sasuke saw she was red-faced, embarrassed. “…he’d have to b-break off our e-engagement.” she finished, looking anywhere but at him. 

Sasuke released her shoulders and stepped back. “Wait, don’t tell you and Itachi-nii-”

“N-no, not at all!” Hinata denied, shaking her hands in front of her. “There have been rumours since next year is my coming-of-age ceremony but Itachi has not mentioned anything of the sort. Many houses would oppose it and it would take away from his research, so I doubted it myself. But…if the vision is true, whether he will leave or not will be happening soon. And I’m not even fully clear on all of my capabilities; I don’t want Itachi-san’s lessons to end.”

Sasuke sighed. He thought for a moment. Itachi had done a lot to further his position in this Realm, and seemed to enjoy spending his days with him or at the Hyuuga House; what could possibly so important that he’d leave that?

“Was there any more to that vision?” he asked. Hinata shook her head. “I got such a shock that I woke from it, and I couldn’t revisit it at all.”

Sasuke took a breath. “Your visions…do they always come true?” he asked, already sure he knew the answer. 

“Hinata-sama’s clairvoyance is never wrong.”

The two elves quickly looked up. Leaning against the trunk of a tree above was Neji, his arms crossed. He jumped down from his position. “Forgive me for eavesdropping, but when I heard you had gone on a walk, I got suspicious. Why did you not consult me, Hinata-sama?”

“I’m sorry, Neji-nii,” Hinata apologized, “but I thought that Sasuke would have some insight, since they are brothers. I did not want this to spread to prying ears.”

“You should leave Itachi-san as he is and trust his work. No elf is tied to their land by anything more than personal obligation. If he leaves, we should be sending him off with well wishes instead of holding him back.” Neji said, crossing his arms again. 

Sasuke was surprised; Neji was normally so rigid in everything and believed highly in elven tradition. It was true that elves were less obligated to stay within their houses, but that was still the norm to stay and those that left were considered unusual. Itachi would be running that risk after building his reputation like that, and that would only worsen what opposition there was to joining his house with the main one. 

“Why are you supporting this so much? Do you want him to leave?” Sasuke asked, feeling his agitation build. 

“Of course not, Sasuke-kun, but you must consider his feelings as well. We are not children anymore.” Neji refuted, pinching his brow. “Listen, I am out of my place here, but I’ve read Itachi-san’s notes once.”

Once again, Sasuke was surprised by Neji. Not only was Neji very mindful of privacy, it wasn’t easy to read Itachi’s unpublished notes. Itachi was a strangely secretive person; not that he was a liar, but rather that he withheld information when it was convenient, and he preferred to stay quiet. Both Sasuke and Hinata knew from trying to take peeks at his notebooks that he even wrote his findings in a coded language that his own Sharingan could only read. Neither of them were ever close to being able to decipher the scribbles. It was quite a feat to be able to read it at all. 

“I couldn’t read all the details, but Itachi-san has a hunch, and he’s crossing into elven philosophy.” Neji explained. “From what I understood, if Itachi learns enough to confirm his theory is worth exploring, he will explore it. And in elven philosophy, this kind of theory…he would be condemned for treason.”

“Treason?!” Sasuke exclaimed. “How? What could possibly so dangerous about his research? Why would he even think about this kind of thing?”

“I can’t answer things that I do not know the answer to.” Neji informed him. “I just find it unfortunate that the moment he wants to leave is the moment he is chained by other responsibilities.”

Hinata, who had been quiet this whole time thinking, spoke up. “Say, Neji-nii-san, I just told him he would leave soon…does that mean I’ve confirmed something about his theories? That he’s right on the path?”

Neji thought for a moment. “It’s possible. But if that was true, he would leave any moment n-” He froze, and the other two realized at the same time – when Itachi said Sasuke could go home ahead of him, but the other ‘errand’ he had to attend to was unexplained. 

The three elves bolted from the Spirit Lake. “Which gate do you think he would use to leave?” Sasuke asked Neji, his Sharingan flaring to life. Neji’s Byakugan followed suite. 

“The scholar’s gate; it would be closest to the things he needs to take to prepare.” Neji replied. He took Hinata’s hand and helped her to keep up with their speed; Hinata hadn’t had any of the elves’ physical training. 

“I can’t sense his spirit at all. Do you think he’s left already?” Sasuke asked with apprehension building a block in his throat.

“No, he’s using a charm to disguise it” Hinata replied back, her own Byakugan activated. “I can recognize the spirit pattern. He’s approaching the gate now.”

They landed on the path that extended from the gate, about one click away. “We can ambush him here” Sasuke said, positioning himself behind a tree opposite of the path. Hinata crouched down behind some shrubs, and Neji took the tree closest to her. 

“Neji-san” Sasuke started, “what happened to ‘if a person wants to leave, we should be sending him off’, huh?” He was still bitter about having all this new information dumped on him. He didn’t want a family member leaving on top of it all. 

“This is sudden for me too. You two may be of the same house but he’s no less of a brother to me as well.” Neji replied back curtly. “I’ve idolized him since we were children.”

“Neji-nii-san, Sasuke-kun, please stop. We are all upset that Itachi-san would leave.” Hinata interjected looking down. “I want to help Itachi-san too. I don’t want to be any more a burden to Itachi-san.”

“I wouldn’t say you’re a burden, Princess; far from it, actually.”

Hinata whipped around – in the midst of their bickering, Itachi had proceeded from the gate, bags in tow, and caught them in their ambush. He was now leaning against Sasuke’s tree, where Sasuke sprang back in surprise. 

“Nii-san!” Sasuke sputtered. 

Itachi just had a smile on his face, waiting as the other three composed themselves. 

“S-so…” Hinata spoke up, “you’re really leaving?”

Itachi pulled a scroll from his belt. “This is an official document stating my leave to further my research over the next year; whether I come back after a year or not is up to me. I’ve had the head researcher have one prepared for a long time, to help me gain safe passage into other allied territories.”

Sasuke gritted his teeth. “So you’ll leave, just like that? Not even a word to Mother or Father or me about it?!” he barked in anger. “What about everything you’ve achieved for the House? Is this ‘Truth’ more important than your own family?”

Itachi could only smile fondly as he stored the scroll again. “When the Princess told me about her vision, I knew I would have to leave right away. You’re unaware of this, Sasuke, but Father has prepared a Bridal Token to present to Hiashi-sama and is going to offer it to him within a week or two. He planned to join our houses through the Princess and me. If I said I was leaving, it would throw that plan into chaos.”

He turned to Hinata now. “I’m sorry Princess, but I planned to end our lessons in half a year because you’ve progressed enough to join the other elves once you’ve come of age. You can even begin physical training. I have some lesson plans I left to be delivered to you to finish up what is left until then. 

“Father knew Hiashi-sama and you would get many offers and wanted to get ahead of the game. Since I knew I would leave with the track I am on now, to prevent a future where I tarnish your name as a prospective husband, I decided I must leave before Father set his plan in motion.”

Itachi finally turned to Neji. “Neji-kun, I know you planned to come with me” he started, startling Neji and the younger elves – he was likely keeping it a secret. “But this is something I must accomplish on my own. I’ll need you here to keep an eye on these two and protect them since I cannot. With my leaving, Father is sure to be angry after all, and my leaving will definitely leave rumours.”

The three younger elves were stunned into silence. This was too much change. 

Hinata clasped her hands together. “There’s nothing we can say at all to keep you here at all?” she asked in a small voice. She didn’t want the memories of the four of them to stop like this.

“Not unless you have all of life’s answers” Itachi replied back, placing a hand on Hinata’s head in affection. “Besides, I don’t think I’m a worthy suitor for your hand, Princess. You’d do better off with someone who wasn’t a stuffy researcher that keeps to his books.”

Hinata took his hand off her head and held it in her hands. She took a breath. “Then, for the teacher that has guided me through so many lessons that I will cherish for all of my life, I would like to send you off with the royal family’s blessing.”

Itachi’s smile grew, and he gave a bow. “I accept your blessing, Hinata-sama.”

He turned to Neji next and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I would like to thank you for your support, Neji-kun.” Itachi said. Neji grabbed his own sleeve, and suddenly he was a child again, facing the elf he wanted to be like the most in a bashful manner. “I hope you find what you are looking for, Itachi-san.”

Itachi took his hand off his shoulder once, and then turned to Sasuke finally. Feeling put on the spot and not at all ready to face this, Sasuke turned his head to the side to avoid looking at anyone. “Tch. Do whatever you want. I don’t care anymore.”

Itachi chuckled and flicked Sasuke’s forehead, something he hadn’t done for many years. “I’m leaving, little brother, but not for forever. I’m sure you’ll see me again. When I’m back, I’d like to see how much elven arts you’ve mastered.”

“All of them. I’ll be way better than you, even at spirit control.” Sasuke said, his mouth pulling more into pout than the frown he wanted. Itachi chuckled again. “I look forward to it, little brother.” 

And with that, Itachi repositioned his pack and jumped into the trees. 

It was surprising for the guards at the Scholar’s gate to find three dejected-looking elves outside the walls, two of them being royals. But Neji waved them off as they returned to their houses. 


End file.
